Fire-escape.



T. BOOTH.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 23, 1912.

Patented Sept. 9, 1913.

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amen/boo 2 77' away 3006i in the county of Ada and THOMAS BOOTH, OF BOISE, IDAHO.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 9, 1913.

Application filed. April 23, 1912. Serial No. 692,680.

To all whomitmay concern: j I

Be it known that I, TI-IoMAsBoo'r H, '(bltl zen of the'United States, residing atBoise, State of Idaho, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a specification. 1

This invention relates to fire-escapes and more particularly to that class of such de-' vices which are designedfor application to a rope'or cable and which include, means for frictionally gripping the cable, so as to retard the passage of l' l16 d6V1C6 along the cable.

It is one aim of the invention to provide a fire escape of this class,-so constructed that the person using the same may quickly and readily adjust the device to more or less firmly clutch the rope or cable, depending upon his or her weight.

The invention also-aims to provide, inadtlition to the cable clutching means above referred to, an auxiliary clutch arranged to be manually controlled whereby the person using the escape may readily govern the speed of hisor her descent. v

The invention aims further to so construct the device thatit may be readily applied to and disconnected from the rope-or cable and after having been applied will not be liable to become disengaged therefrom.

Anotherobject of the invention is to provide means for adjusting the device for application to cables and ropes of different sizes, or to straps of different thicknesses, where straps are employed in place of the cable or rope. I

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the device embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view therethrough, taken in a plane from front to rear; Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a similar view on the line 4-4: of Fig. 1.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

In the drawings the device is illustrated as including, in its construction, a casing having side walls 1 and 2, a front wall 3, and a rear wall 4. The side walls 1 and 2 are connected by the front wall 3, but by referring to Figs. 3 and 4c of the drawings it will be observed that the rear edge of the side wall 2 terminates short of the'rear wall 1, so as to form a slot 5 in one side of the casing. It will also be observed by referring to these two figures of the drawings that the rear wall projects laterally beyond the plane of the side wall 2. The reason for thus formingthe walls of the casing will be pres ently explained.

One of the cable clutching devices of the escape comprises a shoe 6 which is pivoted as at 7 .at a point between its ends, the shoe being of a width to extend between the side walls 1 and 2 and having its cable-engaging end projecting downwardly and its upper end projecting upwardly and in the directionof the forward wall 3 of the casing. The cable-engagin face of the shoe 6 is indicated by the numeral 8 and is projected toward the rear wall 1 of the casing. The forward wall of the casing is formed with a slot which is indicated by the numeral 9- and which extends vertically and opens at the lower edge of the said wall.

Alever arm 10 is secured to the forward side of the shoe 6 and projectsforwardly therefrom and through the slot 9. This lever arm is provided with an open oblong head, one of the side bars of which is indicated by the numeral 12, and the other the numeral 13. The side bar 13 is formed at intervals with hooks 14 which project upwardly and toward the side bar 12.

A ring 15 is assembled with the head of the lever arm and is interchangeably engageable with the hooks 14, and connected by means of snap hooks 16 to this ring are the upper ends of a looped strap 17 which constitutes a sling in which the person using the escape is supported. In addition to the strap 17 there is provided a belt 18.

which is passed around the users waist and is connected by means of snap hooks 19 to the ring 15. At this point it will be apparent that the rope or cable, towhich the device is applied, and which is indicated in the drawings by the reference character R, is to be clutchedbetween the rear wall 4 of the casing and the face 8 of the shoe 6, and it will be readily understood by referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings that, inasmuch as the ring 15 is interchangeably engageable with the hooks 14, and these hooks arelocated at difierent distances from the forward wall 3 of the casing, greater leverage will be exerted through the weight imposed upon the lever arm 10 when the ring 15 is engaged with the outer ones of the hooks thanwhen engaged with the inner ones. lVhen the device is in use, the lever arm 10 will, of course, act to force the shoe 6 firmly against the rear wall 4 of the casing. The person in .order to use the device will, of course, en

gage the ring 15 with that one of the hooks 14 which will so locate thepoint of application of force to the lever arm as to cause the shoe 6 to sufliciently firmly grip the cable to prevent too rapid descent.

In order that the device may be readily and quickly adapted for use in connection with ropes or cables of various diameters and in order to positively limit the pressure which the shoe 6 may exert against the rope or cable, a set-screw 20 is threaded through the forward wall of the casingand serves as an abutment against which the upper end of the shoe 6 may strike when the lower end of the shoe has moved toward the rear wall of the. casing, sufliciently far to properly bind the cable. It will of course be understood that by adjusting the set-screw 20 the movement of the cable-gripping face of the shoe 6 in the direction of the rear wall of the casing will be effectually limited.

In addition to the cable-gripping device just described, there is provided a manually controlled auxiliary gripping device,

which includes a shoe 21 pivoted at its upper end, as at 22, between the side walls of the casing near the upper end thereof. This shoe 21 is provided with a cable-gripping face 23 which, as in the case of the face 8 of the shoe 6, is extended toward the rear wall 4:. The forward wall of the casing is formed with a slot 24 which extends in vertical alinement with the slot'9, and secured to the forward face of the shoe and projecting through the slot 24 is an arm 25. This arm extends forwardly through the slot, and arranged upon the arm at its outer end is a hand grip 27 which may be grasped by the user of the device for the purpose of swinging the arm and imparting similar movement to the shoe 21 to bring the engaging'face 23 thereof into engagement with the cable or rope.

From the above, it will be understood that, while the shoe 21 does not normally bear frictionally againstthe rope or'cable, it may be caused to more or less firmly so engage the same by swinging the arm 25 downwardly, and it is by doing this that the user of the device is enabled to quicken orretard'the speed of his or her descent,

will. I

As before stated, the location of the rear edge of the wall 2, spaced forwardly from the wall 4, results in a slot 5 and it is through this slot that the rope R is to be introduced. In order to restrain the rope R against disengagement from the casing there is provided a cover plate which is indicated by the numeral 28, and is pivoted at projecting portion of the rear wall 4 of the casing, and in order to brace the plate against. being-swung laterally it is formed at its said rear-edge with tongues 31 which project throughslots 32 formed in the said rear wall 4. In'order to hold the plate 28 against' forward swinging movement there is provided a leaf spring latch 33, riveted or otherwise secured to the plate beneath the finger-piece 30,and this latch projects forwardly beyond the plate and near its outer end carries a stud 34 arranged to normally project into an opening, 35 formed in the side wall 2.

When the cable or rope is to be engaged in or disengaged from the casing, the latch 33 is swung laterally so as to disengage its stud 34 from the opening 35, andthe plate 28 is then swung forward to expose the slot, as shown in Fig. ,l of the drawings in dotted lines, and after such engagement or disengagement the plate is swung back to its original position thereby closing the slot 5.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, is

A fire escape comprising a casing, one of the end walls of which extends beyond the adjacent side wall, the side wall being spaced from the more extensive end wall thereby providing an opening through which a cable may be inserted, a plate pivotally supported adjacent the edge of the side wall, said plate being formed with lugs disposed to enter apertures in the end wall, means for locking said plate against movement, and cable engaging means arranged within the casing.

' In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS BOOTH. [L.S.]

Witnesses: CHAS. M. KAHN, HARRY W. FALK.

Copies of this patent'may be obtained for five cents each, hy addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

